No holiday for Rahul Dravid, Head coach still on job on Team India’s day off before Bangladesh game in Pune

After arriving in Pune, the Indian cricket team took a day break from practising before their World Cup 2023 match against Bangladesh on October 19. On a Sunday afternoon, amid boisterous welcomes, they arrived in Pune and immediately went to their hotel rooms. The BCCI confirmed that the team will only hit the nets on Tuesday evening; therefore, there was no practice on Monday. It was a well-deserved vacation after the kind of performance the Indian side gave on Saturday against Pakistan at the Narendra Modi Stadium in Ahmedabad in front of the largest audience of this World Cup. Rahul Dravid, however, does not.

Dravid went directly to the venue, the MCA Stadium in Pune, to check out the playing surface, just as he had done in Ahmedabad prior to the Pakistan game. Dravid spent considerable time talking about the pitch’s characteristics with the curators and ground staff. Dravid’s decision is even more logical considering that this World Cup match will be played in Pune for the first time, so naturally, there will be a lot of unknowns.

There is history to consider, which indicates that runs are probably going to come out like water from a running faucet. In the 14 ODI innings played here, the batting teams have reached 300 runs eight times. India and England both scored more than 300 runs in the most recent ODI played here, with India winning by 7 runs.

The likes of KL Rahul, Virat Kohli, Shubman Gill, and Rohit Sharma will be hoping for a similar pitch on Thursday so they can continue their run-scoring rampage. In this tournament, Rohit has been on a six-hit spree. In just three innings throughout the event, he has already smashed up to 11 sixes.

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Before making a determination about the Pune pitch’s nature, however, there is another crucial assessment that needs to be made. The type of spoil that will be used can significantly alter how the pitch may act. Chances are good that the ball will grip and turn a little more than usual if it’s the red solid, but if it’s the black soil, runs should flow.